The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

Book Summary:

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Publication Date:

January 5th, 2021

Genre:

Domestic Thriller

Purchase Your Copy:

Amazon Link | LibroFM Bookstore Link

{You can use my LibroFM referral link to get your first audiobook for free. Becoming a member of LibroFM allows you to listen to audiobooks while also supporting a local bookstore of your choosing!}

My Review:

The Wife Upstairs is described as a retelling of the classic Jane Eyre, which I can’t speak to because I haven’t read it (I know! I actually have never read most of the “classics” and I still consider myself a reading enthusiast…)

So while I don’t know if that holds up, this was a total page-turner for me and kept me guessing until the end. I loved being immersed in the upscale Thornfield Estates community where nothing is at it first appears. We meet Jane, the main character, who is thrust into a romantic relationship (or is it?!) with Eddie( a new widow…maybe?) and the unreadable narratives keep you guessing throughout.

I enjoy a book with flawed characters and I love getting deeply immersed in the storyline and histories of the individuals. Who is telling the truth and what is really going on? The Wife Upstairs had the perfect amount of dark humor and I just found this one to be completely captivating. I alternated reading and listening to this on audiobook and highly recommend both formats.

Are you a thriller reader? What types of genres have been holding your attention during 2020? Are there any that are not? I would love to hear your thoughts and am discussing this book over on my Instagram page @genthebookworm today.

Thank you to LibroFM and St. Martin’s press for the advanced copies. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!